Baltimore Ravens' schedule 2020: Lamar Jackson will face NFL's easiest schedule

The Baltimore Ravens’ schedule for 2020 was released Thursday.

The 2020 NFL season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 10, with the Houston Texans visiting the Kansas City Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). ESPN will have a Monday Night Football doubleheader on Sept. 14 featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Giants (7:10 p.m. ET) and Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos (10:20 p.m. ET).

Check out the full week-by-week schedule here. Here’s what is in store for the Ravens:

Game-by-game prediction

Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley is predicting a 12-4 finish:

Sept. 13: vs. Cleveland, Win

Sept. 20: at Houston, Win

Sept. 28: vs. Kansas City, Loss

Oct. 4: at Washington, Win

Oct. 11: vs. Cincinnati, Win

Oct. 18: at Philadelphia, Loss

Oct. 25: vs. Pittsburgh, Win

Nov. 1: Bye

Nov. 8: at Indianapolis, Loss

Nov. 15: at New England, Win

Nov. 22: vs. Tennessee, Win

Nov. 26: at Pittsburgh, Loss

Dec. 3: vs. Dallas, Win

Dec. 14: at Cleveland, Win

Dec. 20: vs. Jacksonville, Win

Dec. 27: vs. N.Y. Giants, Win

Jan. 3: at Cincinnati, Win

Strength of schedule: First, .438

Breakdown

Reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will command the national spotlight like few other teams in franchise history. The Ravens are scheduled to play five prime-time games for just the second time in their 25-year existence (the only other time was 2011). Baltimore’s first nationally televised game of the season is the most anticipated one -- a Week 3 home matchup against Kansas City, pitting the past two league MVPs (Jackson and Patrick Mahomes) as well as the preseason favorites to end up in the AFC Championship Game.

The Ravens join the Buccaneers as the first teams in three seasons to play three straight prime-time games when they do so in Weeks 12-14: Thanksgiving night at Pittsburgh (Nov. 26), Thursday night against Dallas (Dec. 3) and Monday night at Cleveland (Dec. 14). Baltimore can’t complain about the travel. The Ravens play consecutive games on the road once and venture outside the Eastern Time zone once (at Houston). For a six-week stretch in September and October, Baltimore doesn’t have to board an airplane (three home games, road games at nearby Philadelphia and Washington and a bye).

Brutal after bye

The Ravens had better rest up during the Week 8 bye because the toughest part of the NFL’s overall easiest schedule (at least based on 2019 records) comes immediately after it. For five straight weeks, Baltimore lines up against teams whose playoff probability is 57% or higher by Caesars Sportsbook. The Ravens play at Indianapolis (where they’re 0-6 in franchise history), at New England (where they haven’t won since the 2012 AFC Championship Game), home against Tennessee (which delivered the playoff upset in Baltimore last season), at Pittsburgh (where they’ve lost to Ben Roethlisberger in four of the past five regular-season meetings) and home against Dallas (which beat Baltimore in the teams' last meeting with a then-rookie QB Dak Prescott).

Favorable finish

Baltimore finishes out at Cleveland, home against the Jaguars and Giants, before traveling to Cincinnati. In the past two seasons, those four teams have combined for 86 losses and no playoff appearances. This has the makings of another strong finish for Jackson. In regular-season games Week 11 or later, he has a career record of 13-1 (.929). There is definite familiarity at the end of the schedule.